As part of our literacy cycle, students in Stage 1 and Early Stage 1 investigate Aboriginal dreaming stories in Term Three.

To accompany this week’s dreaming story, “How the whale got a hole in his head”, here is a useful website that shows an old Aboriginal rock shelf engraving of a large sea creature at Tamarama in Sydney.

A group of Stage 1 (Year 2) students have been working on creating a digital story about the Book Week slogan, “Champions read”. We have spent 30 mins per day (for 2 weeks) watching stimulus material, such as The hare and the tortoise (2009) fable. Also brainstorming, character building, storyboarding, taking digital photos, caption writing, editing, and selecting music. They have discussed their effort on the book rap, Join a reading adventure.

I also bought “Too many elephants in this house” by Ursula Dubosarsky and Andrew Joyner. While there is no trailer, as yet, I still love Andrew’s Youtube clip promoting their previous picture book, “The terrible plop!”:

Today, at The Children’s Bookshop, Beecroft, Paul Macdonald introduced the irrepressible author Geoffrey McSkimming, of “Cairo Jim” fame, to a young audience who’d come to celebrate the start of Book Week with some magic! Geoffrey read from his new novel, “Phyllis Wong and the Forgotten Secrets of Mr Okyto”, the first in a projected series of six books. His professional magic adviser on the book, Sue-Anne Webster, performed some wonderful feats with the help of members of the audience. There were autographs and collectible lapel badges for all!

Paul Macdonald introduces Geoffrey McSkimming

Author Geoffrey McSkimming is about to unleash his “Saturday imagination”, and magician Sue-Anne Webster prepares to catch it in a paper bag at The Children’s Bookshop. For his weekday imagination, Geoffrey would need a bigger container.

It’s Term 3, so the first Book Week displays from classes have started to arrive in the school library! This has been an annual tradition at my school long before I arrived here. The displays become a part of the library decor until the next Book Week, when everything is refreshed. This year’s slogan is “Champions read”.

1/2H presents “The last Viking”

K-2B presents a frieze featuring “The three billy goats Gruff” and a farm

3F presents “A bus called Heaven”

“A bus called Heaven” – revealed!

K-3R presents “Ben and Duck”

1G presents “Rudie nudie”

1K presents “Surrealism for kids”
Click HERE to see some sample pages.

The creators of “The last viking” have also posted 1/2H’s display on their website! Congratulations 1/2H!

Watch a slideshow of all of these displays (and more as they are added) HERE!